Have you wondered how to choose the right dog park for you and your dog? There is always a lot of scary, and bad news about dog parks, but we still go once and a while. We have some things we do to make sure we have a good experience.
Last weekend we went to a dog park we had not been to before. There are a few we have on our “acceptable” list, but why not try something new? The plan was to go for a nice walk on some trails in the area, but it was only three degrees out, so Mom thought it would be more fun to let us run loose rather than getting cold hands trying to hold on to leashes.
How Do We Choose The Right Dog Park?
Mom has come up with several criteria we use before deciding to go to a dog park. It is true that many dog parks have problems with aggressive dogs, dogs fighting, or dogs getting loose. Bailie and I are friendly, but we still need to make sure the dog parks we visit are safe for us.
Is It A Big Dog Park?
We look for dog parks that have room to roam and walk in. At least in our area, most of the dog park websites will have the size listed. Ritter Farm Dog Park is four acres which gives us space to fly around while Mom walks along the perimeter. Small dog parks, especially if they are busy can make many dogs uneasy, feeling trapped together with a lot of dogs in a small space.
Is The Dog Park Fully Fenced?
The Twin Cities has a ton of dog parks, but we have found that a good number of them are not fully fenced. Not only does a park we visit have to be fully fenced, it must be well maintained, including the fencing. We can’t be trusted off leash in an area that is not fenced. Even well behaved dogs may get spooked and run off if there is an escape spot. If we take off out of sight, Mom wants to know we are contained.
What Is The Terrain/Landscape?
For us, a dog park should be fun and interesting. We look for larger parks with areas of trees and brush, tall grass, flat spots, and some hills. The nature factor is important when we choose the right dog park. Some folks may be happy with a flat grass area, but we find it boring. It would be just like our own backyard. A dog park for us means going for a long walk off leash. Mom wants us to race around and enjoy the area while she walks. This would be a personal preference.
How Busy Is It?
Most of the time we go to dog parks during the day on a weekday. Last weekend we went on Sunday, but because it was so cold, there were only a few other dogs at the park. We enjoy meeting some new friends when we are at a park, but we prefer to have our space to do our own thing. Some parks seem to attract people who want to stand in one place to talk to others, and let the dogs do things on their own. That doesn’t work for us because Mom wants exercise too. It’s more fun when the humans are moving around with us.
The Ritter Farm Dog Park is a place we will go again. There were lots of fun places to do some good sniffing, and plenty of space for running around. Bailie was onto the scent of a tree rat who evidently went up into a tree as she was sniffing through the wood pile.
As for me, I had a real blast, but right before we left I got into a patch of sticky burrs. They were all over in my beard, face, ears, and front legs. Mom had to spend about half an hour getting them all out when we got home. That was not fun, but the outing itself was great!
Dog parks can be a wonderful place to go with your dog as long as you choose the right dog park. If your dog doesn’t like other dogs, it is not a place to take her. Sometimes we notice people with questionable dogs/dog behavior. In that case, we simply leave to avoid any confrontations. Hopefully you can get out and enjoy a dog park in your area for some fun exercise.
Our friends at Living Laughing and Barking in Our Backyard is hosting a nature Friday blog hop for the winter. Since we are out in nature, I think this qualifies for a nature walk. Stop by and visit some of the other blogs in the hop.
That looks like a really fun park for you to romp in….except for those sticky burr things!
The burrs were seriously bad and I was not cooperative with having them removed.
apart from that evil burrs it is a super place for dogs!!!! we would like to visit that park too ;O)
You wild boys would love some of our big dog parks here!
I’m so jealous. New York City doesn’t really have dogparks. There is Central Park but I would not trust Katie off the leash with no fencing.
Completely fenced is a must, and even then Mom is nervous when we are out of sight. As long as you select the right ones, dog parks can be a lot of fun.
I would love to find a dog park like that, Torrey would have a blast. She isn’t really into playing with other dogs, unless they are smaller than her. She’s been attacked too many times. But what fun she would have running around like that.
We often run up to say hi, but then we continue on our way. Sometimes a dog is a pest and won’t leave us alone, so Mom gets on the owner to get their dog away from us. Because we visit big parks at off times, we rarely have any kind of issues.
I wish we had dog parks like that around here! Ducky would have a blast! Shadow prefers our own yard these days…getting into and out of the car is just too cumbersome for her as she ages.
Katie had a really hard time with the car her last year. She was a real dog park lover, and enjoyed meeting any dogs she could find. I think it was because she used to run free on the beaches in Germany and play with all the dogs who were there on vacation. She loved other dogs. Emma always hung back and kept to herself.
BURRRRRRR…. first 3 degrees and then Madison’s coat! Looks like a fun time was had by all! We have dog parks, but you have to pay a fee to belong and they tend to be overcrowded or just too small. Mom doesn’t use them. Too bad for all of us!!! Elbe
We have a couple of dog parks in our area, but mostly just small fenced in spaces of grass/dirt; nothing like the space you were exploring.
Those would be the kind we avoid. I guess for people who don’t have a yard they might be an option, but they also seem to attract the dangerous situations.
OUCH! I am pawsitive your mom was gentle, but your furs must have gotten pulled! You have wonderful doggy parks. We only have one dog park in my town and it is not very regulated. Even most of our beaches are not dog friendly! Have a super weekend XOXO, Sparkle
Bailie went to Fort Myers a few times when she was younger and she said it was not dog friendly at all.Even parks with trails didn’t allow dogs. The burrs were painful to pull out, but Mom agreed on a few burrs and then a treat, and so on until they were all out. Worked for me 😉 A girl has to be demanding at times.
Our Little Bit would get something caught in her paw and she’s just stand there with her paw up and dad would go take out whatever she picked up. It was cute to watch. Dad was all about whatever our Little Bit wanted.
Finding a good dog park is a good thing. You want to be safe and have a good time too.
Have a woof woof day and weekend. My best to your mom. ♥
Our sister Emma was that way. She would act like she was about to die because a leaf was in her leg furs or something silly like that. We miss her! Happy Friday.
I have never been to a dog park but yours is sure pretty and BIG!
We don’t go often, and there are only a few we will visit, but we always have fun.
Dog parks are not something Luke can do, but if we were to be able to go to one we would choose the same type that you do. Our closest one is just like a small fenced in grassy area with a few things for the dogs to climb on and through. That would not interest us at all.
It seems like a lot of them are that way, which is boring! We can have more fun in our own yard. Mom likes a big one so we can walk, chase, and play around.
What a gorgeous park I’d love to walk Ritter Farm in the spring.
Of course I don’t have a dog but wow I thought all dog parks were 100% fenced in..or at least they should be.
Hugs
cecilia
We love the wintertime because most people are not out and about. It’s more like our own private park. Maybe you will have a dog by spring?
What great advice Madison…we wish we had dog parks like yours around here!!
xoxo,
Rosy, Jakey & Arty
We have learned how lucky we are to have so many really good, big parks. They can be real fun now and then.
Smart tips! My son and his wife don’t take the chihuahuas to dog parks, they have plenty of room to run on the farm or even in when they come visit us. Our daughter does take her German shepherd to one of the bigger parks here, and they always have a good time since Coda obeys well and was smaller than the chihuahuas when she came here, so she’s always been gentle with smaller dogs.
A lot of the dog parks here have small dog areas separate from the other area. We always forget since we never use them. Sounds like all their dogs get plenty or romping around time.
We also occasionally love a good dog park romp! We definitely agree with all of your feature choices but also look for dog park trails/areas that have no hidden corners (read: no surprises for the ever-watchful human and easily surprised dogs) and no toxic plants. It is surprising how many dog parks we have scurried out of due to foxtails! Thanks for the great post. The right dog parks (with the right dogs) should definitely be enjoyed by all canines and humans.
Around here there isn’t much to watch out for that would be toxic, thankfully. We can see how busy a park is just from the cars in the parking lot. The parks we go to have plenty of space, so even if we round a bend and meet dogs, there is room to go around if we want to. We do enjoy them for a good romp!
We have a number of dog parks in our new area but i am not comfortable letting either of the boys off leash. They have zero recall when they get on something. There are some great dog-friendly trails that we are going to visit this year.
We frequently disappear out of sight, but since the area is fenced, Mom knows we can’t go too far. We’ve been going more lately, and it has been good to teach us to keep an eye on Mom. She likes to hide from us if we run off, and that makes us panic.
Those are excellent things to check out when looking for a dog park. We don’t go to dog park being we live in the country.
Due to Shyla’s fears, I’ve stopped ever going to dog parks (she is not comfortable there). If we ever get back to it, I will definitely use criteria similar to yours. Big parks with interesting terrain make it less likely that one bully dog can ruin everyone else’s visit.
Since we go to the large fenced parks at times when there are barely any other dogs there, we haven’t had any issues really. If anyone bothers us we can just leave. We don’t need to go to those parks, but Mom likes us to get to run free without leashes in new places now and then. We will never be trusted off leash, so that makes park visits fun sometimes.
We don’t have any of those types of dog parks around here. I sure wish we did. All our parks are very small, with no walking trails.
Those small ones with nowhere to go are troublemakers. May as well hang out in your own yard if that is the case.